mikey287 wrote:Yeah, maybe it's a little weak. But I'm unsure of the competition we're really going against because Iginla can pick where he wants to go. For all we know, he pulls a Tkachuk* and leaves for a shot at something and then returns home the next season...

knives of ice wrote:any big name ufa pickup is going to require a decent roster player, a top prospect, and a first round draft pick - minimum.

thinking anything less is completely unrealistic with what has been the going rate in the past.

Meh...there's really no great way to drop a blanket over trade values unfortunately...---

Deadline deals for pending UFAs:

Dennis Wideman for Jake Hausvirth (fringe AHLer) and a 3rd.Eric Brewer for a 3rd and Brock Beukeboom (low-level prospect)Dennis Seidenberg and Matt Bartkowski (Engelland-ish, but younger) for Byron Bitz, Craig Weller and a 2nd

Sure, they aren't on the level of Iginla or Kovalchuk (two future HHOFers) but these values are far different than a roster player, top prospect and a 1st...even Kovy only netted a guy that wasn't fulfilling his new contract extension (Oduya), a fringe roster player (Bergfors), a mid-level prospect (Cormier) and a 1st. And the Devils moved up in the 2nd round in the deal, and also got back a fringe d-man in the process. And Kovy had/has more of a future than Iginla and didn't have a NTC I don't believe, so he couldn't limit the market value by picking and choosing.

If Iginla says, "well, there's 10 teams..." well then sure, you got a bidding war...if he goes, "Boston or Pittsburgh" then you get whatever Boston and Pittsburgh say you get basically. That's just a matter of Boston's forward prospects vs. our defensive prospects really.

Good news: Of the top 16 teams in the league right now Pittsburgh has the highest GF.Bad news: Of the top 16 teams in the league right now Pittsburgh has the 3rd worst GA.

Does that sound like a recipe for success in the playoffs? Remember how much we all laughed at Washington? Without playing team defence it won't matter if we get Perry, Iginla or genetically engineer a Mario "score a million goals" Gretzky clone to play on Geno's wing...

netwolf wrote:Robert Bortuzzo has the skill set to be the physical defenseman talked about in this thread. He needs to be playing now so by playoff time he's got a good handle on the NHL game. That won't happen if he only plays half the time.

I do think the top 6 forward isn't as big a need and I'm not as high on Iginla as others are. The big name UFA forward to watch is Corey Perry. I still doubt ANA makes him available, but rumors are out there that they do not want to risk losing him for nothing. If he is available, you have to consider it. He's a top flight winger and he also helps to address making this team tougher to play against.

Up front, being tougher to play against is the biggest area of concern for me. Replacing TK with a guy like Clutterbuck would help there, but again, no idea why MIN would be looking to move him.

Alternate route, Raffi Torres?

In a vacuum, probably, but I haven't watched enough of PHX to know if he's reformed his game to take out the cheap stuff while still being effective. Plus, I've just really come to hate that team, so I have an irrational desire to want no part of anyone from that club coming here, whether they could help or not.

He's a different kind of player obviously, but if Tomas Kopecky would play like he has against us this year, he'd be worth a look. He's been all over the Penguin goal crease.

shmenguin wrote:i like kopecky. everyone on the ice seems to hate him. that's a good thing in the playoffs. but that contract isn't something we can deal with. 3 mill/yr until 15/16? next...

Kopecky is basically an upgraded version of Jeffrey. A little bigger, a little faster, a little for skilled, and a little more physical. They each can play all three forward positions on any line in a pinch.

There's a few guys I'd like from the Caps roster. Brouwer, Chimera, and Fehr are exactly the types of players I think would be perfect alongside Geno/Neal. I'd still prefer to move Kunitz back with them and put whoever with Sid and Dupuis (who had earned his spot, IMO).

If love to get a stay at home defensive vet as well. Like a Scuderi-type player that's a little more physical. Skating ability not necessarily required, but not Hal Gill.

Whether in a hockey trade or salary dump, TK needs to go. I think Bennett, Boychuk, or Jeffrey can more than adequately fill that role on the 3rd line.

I like the glass-vitale-Adams 4th line, but wouldn't mind seeing a more aggressive pker there.

columbia wrote:I'm not sure why Boychuk is even on the roster.It's unlikely that they view him as a viable injury plugin. What's the point of keeping him around until Geno returns?

He played 8 games for the Pens. 8. Are you telling me in those 8 games, his play was terrible enough to not be an adequate replacement for TK, who has been terrible? If so, that's a bunch of malarkey.

I agree with everything about this. The Penguins are in no shape to be throwing away decent young forward talent (even if they are projects). They should be holding on to guys like Boychuk for dear life, because after Bennett the cupboard is bone dry.

Iginla - very hard to get him.. I would try with Kennedy,Maata/Pouillot and 1nd rounder.. nothing more!

Clowe is not going anywhere, even though he's an ufa.

Torres is the last player this team needs. He's dirtier than Cooke at his worst, takes ridiculously stupid retaliatory penalties all the time, and now has a reputation with refs similar to Cooke. Not to mention, he doesn't really bring much offensively.

Pens4Life wrote:I do think that Shero should aquire a player that would help this team on longer terms,not looking just at UFA -to be players.Players with contracts such as Stafford,Glencross and soo on.